Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups Week 2

Ah, fantasy players rejoice! Our biggest unnecessary stress is back and our spouses hate us again! But it’s all okay because fantasy football has transformed itself into a seven day process and fantasy will love us no matter what. No matter if you’re in the shallowest of leagues or a 14-team death league, the waiver wire is what will make or break your team. We just finished week one and have already seen early signs of breakout players. Each week, I’ll pick a few players who are generally available in leagues who can improve your team in the future and categorize them by the terms Add Now, Worth A Look, or the lowest level Deep League Add for those death leagues.

Let’s get started!

Kenny Golladay (Detroit Lions, WR)

Confidence Level: Add Now

Golladay, a 3rd round pick, drew a lot of buzz catching two touchdowns in his first preseason game. He followed suit and caught two touchdwons in his first official NFL game and it’s not a coincidence. Golladay is a big receiver standing at 6-foot-4 and is currently taking over for Anquan Boldin’s 95 targets and 67 receptions from last season. Golden Tate and Marvin Jones will each receive a lot of attention but Matthew Stafford could look Golladay’s way often in the red zone to replace Boldin’s eight touchdowns from last season. While the two touchdowns shouldn’t be expected each week, the seven targets he received should be sustained with the Lions’ pass-first approach.

(Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

Tarik Cohen (Chicago Bears, RB)

Confidence Level: Add Now

Jordan Howard is still really good, nobody is debating this but think about the snap count. Cohen only played 28 snaps but 15 of those came in the fourth quarter of a tight game. Eight of those 15 snaps came on the last possession of a one-score game – the same number of snaps Jordan Howard received on that drive. Cohen is a 5-foot-6 ball of energy with great hands and even better speed. If you’re in a PPR league, go and grab Cohen. With Cameron Meredith done for the season, Cohen led the Bears in receiving. He picked up eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown and five rushes for 66 yards. The eight receptions came from 12 targets and that number reflects a certain level of trust in Cohen. We could be seeing the next Darren Sproles in the making.

This is a tough one. David Johnson unfortunately went out with injury and could miss significant time – Williams is next up in Arizona. He was able to punch in a touchdown after Johnson left and managed 10 yards on five carries. These stats aren’t the most encouraging but given Arizona’s declining passing game, Williams should play a significant role when Johnson misses time. This could be a bit of a running back-by-committee approach with Andre Ellington handling some work, but Williams should receive the bulk of the running duties moving forward. If you’re a David Johnson owner, Williams is a must-add and he deserves a look in any case based on the fact that he’s due for starter’s touches.

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Cooper Kupp (Los Angeles Rams, WR)

Confidence Level: Worth A Look

The only reason Kupp isn’t a must add is because he plays for a quarterback who is still developing and faced an easy matchup with a poor Colts’ secondary. His 76 yards and touchdown came by way of six targets – a number that should stay consistent and potentially increase if injury-prone players like Sammy Watkins has to miss time.

(Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Nelson Agholor (Philadelphia Eagles, WR)

Confidence Level: Deep League Add

We’ve all heard the Nelson Agholor tale before. It says something when a player’s best game in three seasons is only six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown, but Agholor could find sustained success this season. Carson Wentz showed a lot of maturity and looked good against a talented Redskins’ secondary. Agholor received eight targets and, while Alshon Jeffery should build the chemistry with Wentz to become a number one target, Agholor should still be good for a couple long bombs a game.

Rahul Lal is an LA native stuck in a lifelong, love-hate relationship with the Lakers, Dodgers and Raiders. You can follow him on Twitter here.